Title: Career Magic: A Woman”s Guide to Reward & Recognition
Author: Marjorie Brody, MA, CSP, CMC
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Career Skills Press
Pages: 225
ISBN: 1-931148-09-0
Price: $24.95
Publishing Date: 2004
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
Marjorie Brody has done it again, crunched vitally helpful guidance into an easy to remember model to further one’s career. Although directed at women, it’s just as valuable for men. Using the mnemonic M-A-G-I-C, she explains how one should use good manners; advocates who will hire, recommend, and network you with others; grow along the way; get involved with organizations in leadership positions; and become recognized as an expert in your field by giving commentary through writing and speaking.
I have reviewed several of Ms Brody’s books now and have always found them to be helpful and spot on with good advice. This one is no exception. I plan on giving it to my youngest daughter who is finishing her third year in college, so she will have this excellent advice at hand when she begins her professional career. We rated this book a max five hearts.
Title: Music Business Made Simple
Author: J.S. Rudsenske
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Schirmer Trade Books
Pages: 144
ISBN: 0-8256-7295-3
Price: $14.95
Publishing Date: 2004
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
Because I have a degree from the largest music school in the world, Indiana University, in Orchestral Management, I was most interested in reviewing this particular guide. There is a paucity of really good books in this particular area, yet it is a subject of keen interest to everyone who has ever started a garage band, hoping for a career in musical entertainment. The author, an experienced entertainment attorney, has laid out an excellent road map of what is needed to develop a career, who is who, what is what, and the pitfalls of which to be careful. I would recommend this as a supplementary textbook to any music management course. It is written in plain language and offers sound advice. We rated it five hearts.
Title: Music, Money and Success: The Insider’s Guide to Making Money in the Music Industry, 4th edition
Author: Jeffrey Brabec and Todd Brabec
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Schirmer Trade Books
Pages: 488
ISBN: 0-8256-7306-2
Price: $24.95
Publishing Date: August 2004
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
There are a few really good books on the business of music for beginners, but this one goes far beyond the beginner’s level. Written by two lawyers—one a vice president of ASCAP and the other a practicing entertainment lawyer—they both have been recording artists, so they know the legal and the practical side of the business. “Show me the money,” and that is exactly what the authors do. They take every possible venue in the entertainment industry and break down the expected percentages and amounts to be gained. This book is incredibly inclusive, so much so that it is an absolute must have for anyone making their living in any way within the music industry—from the newbie just starting out to the sagest agents and legal minds. It is a veritable bible of rates and practices for this career field. We rated it a very high five hearts.
Title: Low-Budget Online Marketing for Small Business
Author: Holly Berkley
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Self-Counsel Press
Pages: 130
ISBN: 1-55180-427-1
Price: $?
Publishing Date: 2003
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
My wife and I read this book out loud on our way to Book Expo America. The content is easy to understand, builds line-upon-line, precept-upon-precept, and is fairly up to date (as much as one can be with web-based subject matter). The author does a good job of translating what the big companies do into the small business arena. She shows how many of the concepts used by large companies work for the local mom and pop businesses, and more importantly, what doesn’t work or what just isn’t affordable or feasible. The book helped us understand how to better use our store’s website. In terms of value for the buck, this book gives great advice for very little cost. We rated it five hearts.
Title: “Who’s That Sitting At My Desk?” Workship, Friendship, or Foe
Author: Jan Yager, Ph.D.
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Hannacroix Creek Books
Pages: 245
ISBN: 1-889262-94-3
Price: $29.95
Publishing Date: June 2004
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
This is a must read for all working careerists. Dr. Yager focuses on the importance of positive relationships with those we work with. She warns about fourteen types of people to steer clear of, why they are the way they are, and how to deal with them. She also teaches how to build positive relationships and use them to everyone’s benefit. She acknowledges some would be better off working from their homes and how best to do that. Her advice is based on more than opinion, but extensive research. This author knows what she’s talking about with certainty. We rated her book five hearts.
Title: Career Magic: A Woman”s Guide to Reward & Recognition
Author: Marjorie Brody, MA, CSP, CMC
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Career Skills Press
Pages: 225
ISBN: 1-931148-09-0
Price: $24.95
Publishing Date: 2004
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
Marjorie Brody has done it again, crunched vitally helpful guidance into an easy to remember model to further one’s career. Although directed at women, it’s just as valuable for men. Using the mnemonic M-A-G-I-C, she explains how one should use good manners; advocates who will hire, recommend, and network you with others; grow along the way; get involved with organizations in leadership positions; and become recognized as an expert in your field by giving commentary through writing and speaking.
I have reviewed several of Ms Brody’s books now and have always found them to be helpful and spot on with good advice. This one is no exception. I plan on giving it to my youngest daughter who is finishing her third year in college, so she will have this excellent advice at hand when she begins her professional career. We rated this book a max five hearts.
Title: Music Business Made Simple
Author: J.S. Rudsenske
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Schirmer Trade Books
Pages: 144
ISBN: 0-8256-7295-3
Price: $14.95
Publishing Date: 2004
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
Because I have a degree from the largest music school in the world, Indiana University, in Orchestral Management, I was most interested in reviewing this particular guide. There is a paucity of really good books in this particular area, yet it is a subject of keen interest to everyone who has ever started a garage band, hoping for a career in musical entertainment. The author, an experienced entertainment attorney, has laid out an excellent road map of what is needed to develop a career, who is who, what is what, and the pitfalls of which to be careful. I would recommend this as a supplementary textbook to any music management course. It is written in plain language and offers sound advice. We rated it five hearts.
Title: Music, Money and Success: The Insider’s Guide to Making Money in the Music Industry, 4th edition
Author: Jeffrey Brabec and Todd Brabec
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Schirmer Trade Books
Pages: 488
ISBN: 0-8256-7306-2
Price: $24.95
Publishing Date: August 2004
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
There are a few really good books on the business of music for beginners, but this one goes far beyond the beginner’s level. Written by two lawyers—one a vice president of ASCAP and the other a practicing entertainment lawyer—they both have been recording artists, so they know the legal and the practical side of the business. “Show me the money,” and that is exactly what the authors do. They take every possible venue in the entertainment industry and break down the expected percentages and amounts to be gained. This book is incredibly inclusive, so much so that it is an absolute must have for anyone making their living in any way within the music industry—from the newbie just starting out to the sagest agents and legal minds. It is a veritable bible of rates and practices for this career field. We rated it a very high five hearts.
Title: Low-Budget Online Marketing for Small Business
Author: Holly Berkley
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Self-Counsel Press
Pages: 130
ISBN: 1-55180-427-1
Price: $?
Publishing Date: 2003
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
My wife and I read this book out loud on our way to Book Expo America. The content is easy to understand, builds line-upon-line, precept-upon-precept, and is fairly up to date (as much as one can be with web-based subject matter). The author does a good job of translating what the big companies do into the small business arena. She shows how many of the concepts used by large companies work for the local mom and pop businesses, and more importantly, what doesn’t work or what just isn’t affordable or feasible. The book helped us understand how to better use our store’s website. In terms of value for the buck, this book gives great advice for very little cost. We rated it five hearts.
Title: “Who’s That Sitting At My Desk?” Workship, Friendship, or Foe
Author: Jan Yager, Ph.D.
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Hannacroix Creek Books
Pages: 245
ISBN: 1-889262-94-3
Price: $29.95
Publishing Date: June 2004
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
This is a must read for all working careerists. Dr. Yager focuses on the importance of positive relationships with those we work with. She warns about fourteen types of people to steer clear of, why they are the way they are, and how to deal with them. She also teaches how to build positive relationships and use them to everyone’s benefit. She acknowledges some would be better off working from their homes and how best to do that. Her advice is based on more than opinion, but extensive research. This author knows what she’s talking about with certainty. We rated her book five hearts.
Title: How to Love the Job You Hate: Job Satisfaction for the 21st Century
Author: Jane Boucher, CSP
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Beagle Bay Books
Pages: 191
ISBN: 0-9679591-0-1
Price: $17.95
Publishing Date: 2004
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
These days, far too many workers are losing their job to down sizing and out sourcing. Keeping one’s job has become critical. In times like these, workers may need to hold on to what they have. This book tells how to do that by teaching how to internalize job satisfaction, which in turn, manifests itself externally as a good and pleasant worker–one whom the bosses would like to keep around. So often, our state of mind really is a function of the attitudes we take on and the relationships we build. How to Love the Job You Hate teaches how to make the most of and get the most out of whatever job we have. It also teaches how to leave a job without burning bridges. This is a workplace survival manual every worker and boss should read. We rated it five hearts.
Title: Marketing Your Product with accompanying CD/
Marketing Your Service with accompanying CD
Author: Donald Cyr and Douglas Gray / Jean Withers and Carol Vipperman
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Self-Counsel Press
Pages: 181 / 155
ISBN: 1-55180-395-X / 1-55180-394-1
Price: $18.95 / $18.95
Publishing Date: 2004
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
These two titles are excellent basic how-to business books. They cover the basics of marketing each specialty area. The accompanying CDs contain both Word and PDF files of the recommended worksheets contained within the manuals. These are fill-in-the-blanks worksheets, which provide a framework in which to place critical information necessary to the marketing plan. Both books lead the reader through a step-by-step process that leaves out no area of consideration. While the reader is expected to do the hard work or research and analysis, the books’ structures insure she will do thorough job. We rated both books four hearts.
Title: Starting Your First Business: Gain Independence and Love Your Work
Author: Jim R. Sapp
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Rylinn Publishing
Pages: 263
ISBN: 097487810-3
Price: $17.95
Publishing Date: 2004
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
As a past developer and adjunct professor of small business management and entrepreneurial courses, I found this to be a very good practical guide for start-up businesses. The book is filled with little theory and lots of real-world resources and examples. One of the most important aspects is how the author keeps the reader focused on what really counts: from where to get seed money to how to prioritize one’s time. The author is a national business consultant, a recipient of the Entrepreneur of the Year award, and a National Blue Chip Enterprise award winner. We rated this book a high four hearts.
Title: Business Security
Author and Editor: T.A. Brown
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Crary Publications
Publisher Email: info@businesssecurity.org
Pages: 312
ISBN: 0-9743438-9-7 / 0-9743438-3-8
Price: $29.95 / $37.95
Publishing Date: Jan 2004
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
Business Security is an amazingly complete how-to book for business owners. If one were using knowledge-based engineering to develop an artificial intelligence program for this oft-neglected area of business, this book would be an excellent source to use as the foundation. The author / editor has gleaned articles from some of the top security consultants in the world and presented them in a logical, easy to understand format. The articles are gems of detailed information based on common sense and years…no, centuries of experience. Each article deals with a specific aspect of security pertinent to the heightened requirements of a post-9/11 reality. There is something for everyone and for every aspect of running a business. If you want to know how to protect your company’s computers from worms and viruses; if you want to know how to do your own employee background checks (even in foreign countries); if you want to know what to teach your executives to safeguard their lives; if you want to know how to prevent sexual harassment lawsuits; if you want to know how to collect information on competitors and how to safeguard your own company from the same, it’s all in here plus much more. Each article is accompanied by the contact information of the contributing consultant, in case a business owner wants more hands-on advice.
As a retired intelligence professional, this reviewer was simply blown away by the completeness and usefulness of the information in this excellent book. We rated it a high five hearts.
Title: Principled Profit: Marketing that Puts People First
Author: Shel Horowitz
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: AWM Books
Pages: 160
ISBN: 0-9614666-6-9
Price: $17.50
Publishing Date: 2003
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
Shel Horowitz is the Grandmaster of Win-Win marketing. He’s also a very nice, generous guy. His new book, Principled Profit, explains how to effectively market one’s products and services while not only getting along with one’s competitors, but by using them in a principled, positive way. His focus is on high ethics and demonstrates these and his willingness to cooperate with any and all through his examples and the freely sharing of competitor contact information. This book makes a good case study resource for those who want to do business in a better manner and end up doing better business. We rated it a perfect five hearts.
Title: 21st Century Pocket Guide to Proper Business Protocol
Author: Marjorie Brody, MA, CSP, CMC
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Career Sales Press
Pages: 166
ISBN: 1-931148-07-4
Price: $19.95
Publishing Date: 2003
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
This handy pocket guide is essential for those going out into the work force and for those having a hard time getting ahead. It is also an excellent item for companies to hand out to their employees. It covers how to create an excellent first impression on others, how to fit into the workplace, how to communicate effectively with emails, etc., and doing business on the road.
The author’s style is straightforward and nonjudgmental. She tells it like it is without preaching. We rated this excellent guide a solid four hearts.
Title: Fusion Branding: How to Forge your Brand for the Future
Author: Nick Wreden
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Accountability Press
Pages: 389
ISBN:
Price: $29.95
Publishing Date: 2003
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
Fusion Branding is a textbook look into the future of business branding. Written by a branding futurist, this book can be read on several levels, depending on how deep the reader wants to dig into the subject. The author points out that branding has become increasingly important, while at the same time, increasingly more difficult to generate. Fusion branding is not about products in isolation, but the whole sales and support infrastructure–going beyond the bounds of the company to these pipeline and even to the customers’ reactions to the company’s products and their support infrastructure.
This is a must read for business students and entrepreneurs. It is cogent and complete. It emphasizes the customer viewpoint interactions with them. We rated this book four hearts.
Title: Garage Band Cookbook: Business Start-up Guide (with optional CD)
Author: Dan Titus
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Venture Marketing
Pages: 178
ISBN: 1-58291-109-6
Price: $34.95
Publishing Date: 2003
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
I would have killed for this knowledge back in the 1960s. I have played in bands since 1961 and earned a degree in Orchestral Management at Indiana University in 1967. There were zero text books except for a very generic tome, This Business of Music, which I read on my own because there were no courses in the music business per se. This manual covers all the small business start-up material plus the music and equipment technical material to give a young person the knowledge of what it takes to go about the music business in a professional manner. The information is priceless. Only due to the narrowness of the subject matter did we rate this book four hearts, otherwise, it would have rated five.
Title: Reclaiming The Ethical High Ground: Developing Organizations of Character
Author: John Di Frances
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Reliance Books
Publisher Website: www.reliancebooks.com
Pages: 160
ISBN: 0-9709908-1-2
Price: $24.95
Publishing Date: 2003
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
Reclaiming the Ethical High Ground is a text on how the loss of trust of corporations and their leaders has adversely affected consumerism and the market place. Mr. Di Frances is eminently qualified to right on this subject, having leadership experience in the higher levels of global corporations and Federal Government agencies. He has taught ethics and leadership to industry for many years. He comes with endorsements from the captains of industry. He goes far beyond defining the problem. He uses examples from both corporate and military history to explain why personal integrity and ethical values are essential to the point where history would have been negatively impacted without their application at key events. Finally, he provides clear cut guidelines for corporate values and mission statements which he urges be taught in our business schools.
This is an essential guideline for reclaiming the public's trust, respect, and purchasing power. We rated this manual a high four hearts.
Title: Marketing to Leading Edge Baby Boomers
Author: Brent Green
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: iUniverse
Publisher Website: www.iuniverse.com
Pages: 184
ISBN: 0-595-26409-3
Price: $16.95
Publishing Date: 2003
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
Baby Boomers have been the most sought after demographic segment since marketers realized how much of the money pie they represented. Accustomed to being courted by industry, recently the Boomers have become dismayed that their aging is perceived as an invalidation of their importance to the business world. The author has done a superlative job of research to demonstrate the changing agendas and values of the Baby Boomers as they have grown up and older. His message is, they do not represent the typical stereotypes of an aging population. Many are looking at early retirement as an opportunity to grow and develop further and to have a major impact on society. They should not be discounted as a major force in the consumer arena, as they have been all their lives. The rules have changed over time, and the author explains and defines them with an erudite voice. The bottom line is: don't count them out. They still remain a major bloc of society and intend to stay actively engaged in it for years yet to come. Any marketeer who disregards this fact, will be missing the boat.
I have been very impressed with the author. We plan to invite him to do a book signing at our bookstore and to give him an opportunity to speak with the merchants in our downtown Mainstreet organization, because we feel his message is important to understand the subtle shift of influence the Boomers still exert on the market place. We rated this book a high four hearts.
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Title: Market Research Made Easy, 2nd Edition
Author: Don Doman, Dell Dennison, Margaret Doman
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Self-Counsel Press
Publisher Website: www.self-counsel.com
Pages: 148
ISBN: 1-55180-409-3
Price: $16.95
Publishing Date: 2002
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 4 Hearts
This ready reference and how-to for marketing research would make a good supplementary text for a college marketing course. As an adjunct marketing professor, I would have used this book as a basis for a semester project in support of a basic marketing course. It includes first hand and secondary data sources and techniques. It has been updated to include working with the internet and search engines. It also includes examples of questionnaires and data worksheets. We rated this book four hearts.
Title: The Complete Check Management Companion for Small Businesses
Author: Dennis Janovich
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Washington Mercantile Publishing Company
Publisher Website: www.djanco.com
Pages: 138
ISBN: 0-9711390-0-8
Price: $29.50
Publishing Date: 2002
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 4 Hearts
This is an essential handbook for small businesses. Are you aware some states allow you to collect as much as three times the written amount on a bad check? I wasn't, until I read the page on Kansas legal statutes. Several states are covered in this book. The author takes you from the point-of-purchase to the courts in regard to bad-check writing. If you are in a business that accepts payment by checks, you need this book. It covers such things as fake IDs (what to look for), fees, prosecution, warning signage, debt collections, and much more. We rated this book four hearts.
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Title: Guerrilla Publicity
Author: Rick Frishman, Jill Lublin, and Jay Conrad Levinson
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Adams Media Corporation
Publisher Website: www.adamsmedia.com
Pages: 304
ISBN: 1-58062-682-3
Price: $12.95
Publishing Date: 2002
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 5 Hearts
Over the years I have found every book in the Guerrilla Marketing series to be absolutely excellent. This one is no exception. The co-authors are knowledgeable professionals; the subject matter is inclusive of all you really need to know about publicity. There are excellent examples of the end products they recommend be generated in the publicity process. The information is up-to-date and web inclusive. The advice is directed toward the individual who runs a business on a shoe-string budget. This is one of those books that now sits on my reference shelf (one of the wonderful benefits of running a book review service). We rated this book a high five hearts.
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Title: Venture Management Handbook: An Entrepreneur's Practical Guide to Stock, Finance and Contracts
Author: Cliff Conneighton
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Venture Books
Publisher Website: www.venturebooks.biz
Pages: 350
ISBN: 0-9721671-0-2
Price: $29.95
Publishing Date: 2003
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 5 Hearts
The Venture Management Handbook is written by an author who is the real deal, and not by an ivory tower academic. Mr. Conneighton has formed or helped form many venturessome of them were successful and some not. He shares many of the lessons he learned. The price of this book is dirt cheap, considering the value of its information. If you are an entrepreneur who has to raise capital, plan a start-up, see it grow, and know when and how to bail out, this is a must-have reference book. It is crammed full of interesting facts and suggestions. We rated it five hearts.
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Title: Fanning the Creative Spirit
Author: Maria Girsch and Charlie Girsch
Illustrator: Dean Stanton
Publisher and/or Distributor: Creativity Central
Publisher Website: www.creativitycentral.com
Pages: 260
ISBN:0-9676503-6-4
Price: $14.95
Publishing Date: 2001
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 4
Fanning the Creative Spirit is an excellent mind-stretching book designed to loosen up our thinking and creative process, This workbook is filled with all kinds of exercises designed to kick-start the creative process. It is also filled with numerous approaches to problem solving in creative ways.
The authors, successful toy inventors, practice what they preach and help others by putting on creativity seminars throughout the business community. Their approaches are universal and are such a large collection of techniques, there're bound to be somethings that works for anybody. We rated this book four hearts.
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Title: How to Market A Product For Under $500!
Author: Jeffrey Dobkin
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Danielle Adams Publishing Co.
Publisher Contact: 610-642-1000
Pages: 389
ISBN: 0-9642879-2-7
Price: $29.95
Publishing Date: 2001
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 5
This huge tome on direct marketing is one of the most complete how-to guides ever written on the subject. Every step of the direct mail process is there, with excellent examples. It is a step-by-step action manual for marketing products nationally without phone calls through the mail, through magazines, through public relations, ending with a chapter on how to do an entire campaign for under $500.
The author practices what he preaches showing the way to neophytes. There are no wasted pages here there is purpose and guidance on every one. We rated this book five hearts.
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Title: Make the Money and Run: 18 Businesses to Make You Rich
Author: Siriol Jameson
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Dash-Hill, LLC
Publisher Website: www.atlasbooks.com
Pages: 246
ISBN: 0-9679432-1-3
Price: $ 19.95
Publishing Date: 2001
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 5
Make the Money and Run is a compilation of 18 businesses and 57 related side businesses which have been researched and presented in a concise format. Justifiably so, not every business is for everyone; however, each has enough information, ideas, and resources to start one on the way to thoroughly research the ideas. This reviewer has either tried or known someone who has tried eight of these businesses. The information was valid for those.
The book is well organized and the author communicates well and quickly. The appendices are especially helpful. We gave this book a five heart rating.
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Title: How to promote Your Home Business
Author: John McLain
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Metropolis Ink
Publisher Website: www.metropolisink.com
Pages: 127
ISBN: 0-9580543-2-0
Price: $11.95
Publishing Date: 2002
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 4
How to Promote Your Home Business is a basic how-to book for those who are anticipating or just starting a home business. It focuses primarily on the news release process (as one would expect from an author who is a journalist). It also includes other venues.
The book is strongest in its tips for dealing effectively with the media, for understanding the process from the media's perspective, and showing what does and doesn't work in the advertising realm. We rated it four hearts as a good, entry-level book.
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Title: Grassroots Marketing: Getting Noticed in a Noisy World
Author: Shel Horowitz
Illustrator: Shel Horowitz
Publisher and/or Distributor: Chelsea Green Publishing
Publisher Website: www.chelseagreen.com
Author's Website: http://www.frugalmarketing.com
Pages: 306
ISBN: 1-890132-68-3
Price: $22.95
Publishing Date: 2000
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
Grassroots Marketing is an essential resource book for the small business person. I first learned of this book when Shel and I were on the same TV show. When my requested review copy arrived, I was pleased to see it came from one of my favorite small publishing houses that is known for high quality, pertinent books. The book covers basic concepts, printed promotions, the electronic media, the internet, telemarketing, face-to-face opportunities, and networking in other words, every aspect of affordable modern marketing.
Shel is a highly experienced marketer of his own writing company and has shared some very valuable information in this publication. His advice is valid, helpful, and reality-tested. We rated this resource a very high five hearts.
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Title: Selling Used Books Online
Author: Stephen Windwalker
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Harvard perspectives Press
Publisher Website: www.onlinebookselling.net
Pages: 173
ISBN: 0-9715778-3-8
Price: $17.95
Publishing Date:
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 5
Selling Used Books Online is an incredible business resource for anyone who is interested in selling used books online-from the used bookstore owner to the small-time dealer who wants to create a nice sideline income. As an owner of a bookstore that started out as a used-book bookstore in 1979, and gradually became a newbook seller over the years, I had wanted to sell some of our old used books on the net but didn't quite know how to do that. Now I know, thanks to this wonderful how-to book.
The author, an experienced authority, walks the reader through the different processes and alternatives step-by-step. He candidly describes the pitfalls and the realities of the day-to-day business of used book dealing with no punches withheld. This is a must-have resource for those of us who deal with recycled books of all kinds. I especially liked the chapter on book repair. The information on how to do business with Amazon.com and various other internet sellers was invaluable. We rated this book five hearts.
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Title: Soldiers of Salesmanship
Author: John Lindsay O'Brien, PhD.
Publisher and/or Distributor: JAO Publishing
Email/Website: www.sosbook.com
Pages: 214
ISBN: 0-9722261-2-5
Price: ???
Publishing Date: 2002
Reader: Judy Schuler
Ranking: 4
There are no colleges that teach salesmanship. Some companies conduct training classes, but salespeople generally are left to "wing it." In Soldiers of Salesmanship John Lindsay O'Brien attempts to correct the problem. He provides a flow chart for the process of selling and includes examples and techniques to not only sell a product or service, but to create a Customer Base for Life through referrals and continued follow-up after a sale.
John Lindsay O'Brien would like to raise the status of salespeople from "just a job until I find something better" to legitimate "profession." If dedicated salespeople will read this book and follow its advice, they might eventually succeed. We give it four hearts.
Title: The Death of 20th Century Selling
Author: Dan Seidman
Publisher and/or Distributor: Sales Autopsy Press
Publisher Website: www.salesautopsy.com
Publishing Date: 2002
Pages: 216
Price: $18.95
Reviewer: Bob Spear
Rating: 4
The Death of 20th Century Selling is an excellent, easy to understand teaching vehicle for what not to do in a sales situation. The author uses real life examples, tells their stories, and uses a post-mortem format to teach how not to be caught up in a similar situation. In addition to the 50 examples, which are pretty funny, he includes short teaching sections on some of the newer skills good sales personnel should have. He did an excellent job of explaining neuro linguistic programming (NLP) as an important tool for reading clients and communicating better with them. I was especially interested in his consequences approach to selling as opposed to the outmoded feature/benefit approach many of us learned in the 70s and 80s. This is an important knowledge base for anyone involved in selling or in the management of sales personnel. The author is a true expert in his field. All small business owners should read this book! We rate it four hearts.
Title: Keeping Cool on the Hot Seat: Dealing Effectively with the Media in Times of Crisis
Author: Judith C. Hoffman
Publisher and/or Distributor: 4 Cs Publishing
Publisher Website: www.bookpublishing.com
Publishing Date: 2001
Pages: 82
Price: $19.95
ISBN: 0-9709014-0-2
Reviewer: Bob Spear
Rating: 4
Keeping Cool on the Hot Seat is an extremely timely how-to book directed toward companies and municipalities who may find themselves suddenly thrust before cameras and microphones and having to answer the media¹s pointed questions about a crisis involving them. The author systematically sets forth how to plan for and react to this contingency. Her information is well advised, well organized, and essential for any organization. It¹s too bad the executives at Enron didn¹t read her book. We rated this informative title four hearts.
Title: Media Magic
Author: Marisa D¹Vari
Publisher and/or Distributor: D'Vari Entertainment Group
Publisher Website: www.deg.com
Publishing Date: 2002
Pages: 146
Price: $21.95
ISBN: 1-931094-01-2
Reviewer: Bob Spear
Rating: 4
Media Magic is an essential book for those who are into guerrilla marketing of themselves, their business, their book, or whatever. The author covers the waterfront with both excellent tips on how to get the best publicity, while providing practical exercises which will add marketing tools to one¹s tool kit. This is a must book for professional business development reading.
The author really knows her subject and presents her material in a straight forward, easy to remember manner. Her tone is lightly humorous and she stresses practical, do-able techniques. We rated this book four hearts.
